Effects of Blade Tip Geometry on Cutting Characteristics of Lead Alloy Sheet Subjected to Wedge Indentation

This research work was carried out aiming to investigate the cutting characteristics of a soft metallic sheet subjected to the wedge blade indentation. The indentation of a lead alloy worksheet was conducted, experimentally using a center bevel blade in order to reveal the experimental background of the indentation. In addition, to investigate the effects of the blade tip geometry, the bevel angle of the wedge blade, on the cutting characteristics of the worksheet, the finite element method (FEM) analysis was conducted. By varying the bevel angle, the critical levels of stresses for the necking of the worksheet were detected. Also, it was found that the bevel angle affected the cutting load resistance, the necking of the worksheet and the final feature of the wedged edge.